Giving numbers are a way to save time when entering donations to Elvanto. When it comes time to enter the giving into Elvanto, you’ll only have to punch in a few numbers instead of a whole name.
Generally, there are two main ways to use giving numbers. While we encourage experimentation to find what works for you, we recommend using one system so that you don’t get confused over whether the number you’re looking at is an account, or an envelope number.
Using giving numbers as envelope numbers
Envelope numbers are the most popular way of setting up giving numbers, and work really well if your church hands out envelopes for people to put their tithes into. An envelope number is simply a three (or five or six or whatever your church would actually use) digit number that is on the outside of the envelope, that you can use to quickly look up a giver.
To make Elvanto automatically assign giving numbers to new givers, go to Settings > Financial, check the box under ‘Giving Numbers’, and select how many digits you want the numbers to be.
Using giving numbers as account numbers
One way churches that receive a lot of chequers use giving numbers is to match the account listed on the cheques. This system is particularly useful for churches that do not have an online giving provider, and accept gifts physically (i.e. cash or cheque) and electronically. However, this method cannot be automatically set up.
To set up a giving number for an individual, edit the person’s personal information in the field ‘Giving Number’.
Changing giving numbers
In Elvanto, all transactions are linked to a person, not a giving number. So if you edit a person’s giving number, only new transactions will be affected; previous transactions will still be linked to the person.